My father was one of the heads of special branch killed on the mull. He and his colleagues had beaten the IRA into a corner from which the only option was political not military. Hugh Orde knows nothing of dealing with terrorists he is an amateur with a professional trainset.

phoenix, chippenham,

Jayil London.

YOU may not know it but the UK and USA have been close allies for 150 years.

Also, I haven't forgotten the Islamic declaration of war against the west in 2001. 9/11. Ring a bell ?

Today, in Algeria, there is a pogrom against christians.

Don't like the west? Live elsewhere.

Pierre, Paris,

The police chief should do a better job of reading history, besides the european campaigns against the RAF, Action Direct, the Red Brigades, Baader-Meinhoff etc. There are also campaigns in Oman, Malaysia and Argentina. History is full of successful campaigns given enough determination.

D Fitzsimmons, London, Canada

Loopy! And to think taxpayers are paying this naive fool good money to PROTECT them from those terrorists!

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

The IRA had a political goal but Al-Qaeda want to establish a world wide caliphate with full sharia law. Nothing less will appease them.

sarah , radlett,

The IRA had a political goal but Al-Qaeda want to establish a world wide caliphate with full sharia law. Nothing less will appease them.

sarah , radlett,

Nah,let's carry on for 30 years. And THEN talk.

john, Liverpool, U.K.

This man rstinks of Common Purpose. The 43 to 9 police forces is EU regionalisation as previously said and must be resisted.
As for talking to a concept; he may as well talk to a plant, maybe he does?

John , Wolverhampton,

Perhaps negotiation with the muslim community in general is what he meant?

If the normal muslims are given the courage to help the police in their work against extremism, then extremism will be increasingly threatened. But this involves give *and* take, we need to listen to their needs too!

Brijit, Paris,

"How can you negotiate with people that have no respect for their own lives or the lives of others...it's absurd!" -- Dave, Harlow, UK

Dave, it may come as a supprise to you but we've been talking to the U.S for years.

jayil, london, uk

How can you negotiate with fanatics that have no regard for their own or other peoples lives...that's absurd!

Dave, Harlow, UK

How can you negotiate with people that have no respect for their own lives or the lives of others...it's absurd!

Dave, Harlow, UK

Sir Hugh,
Well I can think of a few terrorist campaigns that have won, some that have become a low level grumble and some that have been taken out entirely. You seem to have entirely forgotten Red Army Faction, Bader Meinhoff ....I could go on. 1 problem with your plan AQ don't want to talk to us.

richard, Darwen, Lancashire

These people have already said there is nothing we can give them to make them stop so how is it possible to negotiate with them?

Liz, London,

This British Police Man is a stooge of the Nu Labour, Nu Immigrants, Nu Crime party.

There is no organization to talk to, and their demands are the dismantlement of democracy, pretty hard to negotiate with.

Chris, Ely, England

The way to deal with this manufactured Al-quaeda threat is easy. Stop bombing people, get out of other peoples country's and allow them to deal with their own oil in whatever currancy the choose. The biggest threat to the western world as we know it are it's leaders and the vile elite they answer to

andrea, blackpool, lancs

How can we negotiate with al-Qaeda when it is more of an ideology than an organisation? Nobody even knows where its figurehead is or whether he's still alive.

Nick, London,

OK, what do Al Qaeda actually want?
An independent Palestinian state. Most people agree that has to happen, and is necessary. But AQ want the complete destruction of Israel. They want to reclaim "lost Islamic lands" including southern Spain, and much of the Balkans. And total sharia law. No way!

dan, london, uk

He seems to be a bit naive about Al Queda. Al Queda is not a single entity in the way that the IRA, the Mau Mau or the Tamil Tigers. It is a disparate body that doesn't have a single leader. Bin Laden is a figurehead. After the West concedes the terror will go on, but they will blame others.

kerry livermore, London, England

Sir Hugh has a very short memory - WW2 is a prime example of where productive negotiations did not take place until the Allies bombed Germany and Japan into submission - Today's terrorist are not the least bit interested in negotiations - My advice is for Sir Hugh to read up on 19th Century history

WTaylor, London, UK

So, negotiate what? Give a foreign terrorist group a veto on British foreign policy?, domestic policy? Introduce aspects of Sharia law? Negotiation will only show that terrorism works - pay Danegeld and you just get more Danes, and less geld.

Pauline Renton, Camberley, UK

I still have no idea who Al-Qaeda are and what they want. everyone talks about them but no one talks about them. It would also help if we knew who they were, as it stands it just a hop potch of fools with guns.

Farrukh, Woking,

Having lived through the second half of the troubles, facing violence with violence only went part of the way towards resolving the conflict.

Engaging in dialogue assists on many levels, including helping undermine the grass roots support which so many terrorists need to prevail.

Marc, Antrim,

There's just one problem with Sir Hugh's suggestion; how can you enter into negotiations with an idea? Answers on a postcard, please!

Susie Flood, Carryduff, Northern Ireland

Who would you negotiate with and what legitimacy would the agreement have? As with trying to get a definitive ruling on any Islamic doctrine, it all depends on the individual moslem that you speak to. And HIS interpretation is as valid as any other, so we're told.

Melaragni, London,

I would endorse talking to Al Qaeda if they actually had practical, rational aims. The IRA wanted the reunification of Ireland from the "British", not the mass conversion of the populace to Catholicism. Al Qaeda objectives are along the lines of the latter - irrational and non-negotiable.

John, Knutsford, UK

How do you negotiate with someone whose intention is to destroy your way of life and many of your population who have opposing views. I guess we could start by preventing women being educated, forbidding them to leave home and forcing them to wear the Hijab. That'll be a start.

JW, Leicester, UK

I fully agree with top cop. Thank you sir!

jayil, london, uk

Not wanting to be pessimistic but what the IRA and Sinn Fein wanted was quite contained in ideology.
However Extremists such as al-Qaeda (not all Muslims) want Sharia law and conversion of all people of the world to Islam.

I'm not quite so sure a middle ground is achievable.

Dave, Gibraltar,

Slashing police forces from 43 to 9 is an EU regionalisation policy.

Negotiating with terrorists is only of value when one or both sides is unwilling or unable to carry on fighting. Northern Ireland is a good example.

MarkS, Leeds,

Sir Hugh Orde clearly misses the point that Irish groups had a clear, potentially-negotiable agenda and identifiable leaders, structure and membership. AQ do not . I wonder which AQ demands we should be negotiating-the return of Spain to Muslim rule or the introduction of the Caliphate worldwide?

Ben, London, England

What is there between Al-Qaeda and us that is negotiable? Their sole objective is the destruction of western democratic society. I don't see how we can agree to that.

Martin, Newmarket, Suffolk